Police Told FCPS Superintendent About Sex Offender Guidance Counselor

PATCH COVERAGE: Police Emails About School Counselor Arrest Didn't Reach FCPS: Report

Police arrested a Fairfax County middle school guidance counselor, Darren Thorton, for soliciting child prostitutes in 2020. A court later convicted Thorton of a felony child sex abuse crime and placed him on the national sex offender registry. Despite this, Thorton remained on the job as a guidance counselor at Glasgow High School for almost two years after his arrest.

Now, the Chesterfield Police Department, which arrested Thorton, has told the media that police notified former FCPS superintendent Scott Brabrand about Thorton’s arrest back in 2020. To substantiate this claim, they showed journalists an email dated November 20, 2020—the day after his arrest. Just three months later, in February 2021, the school mentioned him in an “appreciation post” about guidance counselors.

Brabrand stepped down from Fairfax County School Boards earlier this year and is now the executive director of the Virginia Superintendent’s Association, an organization that lobbies on behalf of school superintendents and other school bureaucrats.

In response, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid, who assumed that role last month released a statement. Reid stated the situation is “deeply disturbing” and “unacceptable from any circumstance.” Reid claimed the board “acted swiftly” once it became aware of the situation. She also pledged an “independent investigation” by outside counsel. The full statement can be accessed here.

“It’s absolutely baffling that Superintendent Reid can claim FCPS acted swiftly. Police told then-superintendent Brabrand about Thorton’s arrest for sex crimes against children immediately after his arrest in 2020. Yet he remained in school, working with children, for almost two more years. That’s not swift, that’s a failure.” Said a spokesperson with Shatter the Silence Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), a non-partisan non-profit that raises awareness about child sex abuse and other civil rights violations that occur within FCPS. The organization added it was particularly troubling that Thorton was soliciting child prostitutes, given the County's known and substantiated problem with sex trafficking.

Despite Reid’s assurances, it’s unclear whether Reid’s sentiments will align with reality. Fairfax County Public Schools has long struggled with appropriately responding to allegations of mishandling child sexual abuse. In 2014, the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights forced FCPS to enter into a sweeping settlement after the National Women’s Law Center filed a complaint against the school district based on reports the district mishandled the sexual abuse of a 12 year old. As a result, Fairfax County Public Schools had to reform all its policies and training regarding sexual assault.

Even after the 2014 settlement, the school district has repeatedly faced allegations of mishandling sexual abuse. In 2015, a CBS news investigation revealed that FCPS failed to revoke the licenses of teachers who went on to abuse other students. In the past few years, multiple principals have been criminally charged with failing to report suspected child abuse. FCPS is also the subject of multiple federal lawsuits where former students allege they reported abuse to administrators, who ignored their reports. Last year, several FCPS students went on TV to allege the same. Just a few months ago, students at as many as 8 schools across the county walked out to protest FCPS’s lacking response to sexual assault reports. Just a few weeks ago, the Associated Press covered FCPS’s history of mishandling sexual misconduct.

Former Superintendent Brabrand has also faced substantial criticism for his own role in minimizing sexual misconduct. In 2017, an ABC News investigation revealed that female student athletes were removed from athletic teams after reporting sexual harassment by a coach at Lake Braddock Secondary School. Community outcry forced the principal to resign, but Scott Brabrand went on TV to swear that the school district investigated properly and did not retaliate against the young girls. Subsequent investigations revealed that Braband actually kept the principal on FCPS’s payroll. A federal probe suggested that FCPS, under Braband’s leadership, failed to appropriately investigate and respond to the students’ allegations.

“Fairfax County Public Schools systemically mishandles allegations of sexual misconduct. At best, they ignore and downplay serious allegations. At worst, they retaliate against survivors. Said a spokesperson from Shatter the Silence FCPS.

The organization also expressed concerns about a purported “independent investigation” by an “outside law firm.”

“Outside counsel should provide sound legal advice to help FCPS do the right thing. Unfortunately, FCPS’s outside counsel too often emboldens the school board’s bad behavior," said Shatter the Silence FCPS.

To support this position, Shatter the Silence FCPS cites the well-publicized legal battle last year where law firm Hunton Andrews sued the parents of disabled students for filing a record request into the school boards legal invoices. The judge denied the lawsuit and claimed FCPS was trying to “restrain” free speech. The leaked invoices revealed FCPS spent millions in legal fees covering up civil rights abuses, including sexual abuse allegations and the chaining of disabled students.

“The public cannot trust the same law firms that profit off of FCPS’s civil rights abuses to conduct an impartial investigation.” Said Shatter the Silence FCPS.

Instead, Shatter the Silence FCPS is calling on lawmakers in Washington and Richmond to enact common sense changes to keep children safe.

“School bureaucrats like those within Fairfax County cannot be trusted to police or reform themselves. The safety of our children, especially from the horrors of child sex abuse, is a nonpartisan issue. FCPS has a track record of mishandling sexual misconduct, and will not reform itself. We need new laws to keep our children safe, and hold bureaucrats accountable when they fail.

Shatter the Silence Fairfax County Public Schools is a volunteer-run, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded by survivors, parents, and students of Fairfax County Public Schools. We seek to raise awareness and demand accountability for human rights and civil rights violations in FCPS. Visit our website, www.shatterthesilenceFCPS.org, or follow us on Instagram or Twitter @shatterFCPS, to learn more.